The source said Rihanna’s bad-girl image may represent everything Cissy did not want to remember about her daughter.

“Cissy believes Rihanna celebrates everything she hated about Whitney’s life — the drugging, the boxing, the abusive relationship,” the source told the National Enquirer. “Cissy does not think Whitney should be represented by someone like Rihanna. In spite of what anyone thought about Whitney, she sees her as a God-fearing Christian who loved the Lord.”

Rihanna expressed an interest in the role at a recent press conference in Japan, where she was promoting her movie “Battleship.”